Treatment of gases.



E. R. WoLooTT. TREATMENT 0F GASES. APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 14, 1909.

Patented Nov. 10,191.4.

frz/72671607" wif/@65365: E

Atormeys EDSQ'N R. IOLG(TIT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TREATMENT or GASES.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Applgation led August `11.1, 1809. Serial No. 512,798.

T all whom t may concern 1 Be it known that I," EDsoN R. WoLCoTT, a citizen of the United States7 residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use-Y A ful Improvements in the "freatment of Gases, of which the following is a full, clear,

i electric circuit which serves to supply the.A heat to the main furnace.

vnitrogen and oxygen of air in order 'to form nitric acid 'or nitrates \of. suitable bases.

The generalsystem which I employ has many. points of similarityywith that. described in the co-pending application of Harry l). Rankin, SerialjNo. 506,044, filed' .July G, 1909.r There are several important features of difference, however, between my apparatus and that employedj by Rankin. Among the more-important may be mentioned the method* of preheating the.gases,' which I employ. Instead of .utilizing the heat ofthe furnace for this purppsel by passL ing the lgases through a' coil surrounding the furnace I use a series of'tanks which vare heated electrically by means of including resistances in these tanksin they same In order to obtain a uniform action of the arc within the heating furnace I have found that it is of the greatest advantage "to include a suitable inductance -in series with the electric circuit supplying said arc. -Not only does the arc operate better-'under such conditions, but there is also considerable saving in energy. Actual experience has demonstrated that by the use of an inductance at -least 90% of the energy can be4 iut-ilized in the arc. This, of course, doesI not 45 i make allowances for losses by radiation and othersimilar causes. For the same purpose various forms of constant current devices can be used which have suitable inductances, the result being that the fluctuations ofthe arc are thereby reduced toay minimum.

are obtained by s o introducing the air into theA combining chamber of the electric furna'ce that it is given a whirling .motion in a downward direction toward the lower of the two'electrodes within the combining chamber. The air, after passing downward in a. whirling, rotary manner, then passes upward within the zone of downwardly whirling air. By this means the arc is given great s teadincss'of operation, and a much greater quantity'of airl can be passed through the furnace without disturbing the arc thanis the case whenthe air is directly introduced from the lower part of thev combining chamber and passes upwardly with or without .whirling motion.

. Another advantage of my system consists .in the lspecial'form of apparatus which is used for removing the impurities from the vcombined gases coming fromy the furnace. This apparatus consists 1n a specles of filter,

comprising a cylinder which is packed with cotton waste or some'other suitable straini ing material.

. not only to remove the impurities from the The effect .of this waste is gases, but also to effect, amore perfectcom'- bination 'of the gases, thereby increasing the etliciency of the system as awhole. I have found that in some cases where the pressure `of the gases is high and a large quantity of [these gases passes through the dust remover that there is sometimes a tendency for the waste to become closely packed in one end recentissima-10,1914..

I have found that very superior results.

DIG,

of the cylinder, with the result that the free passage ofgases is therebyprevented. In order to obviate this difficulty I employ `a series of wooden frames within the cylinder,'these frames having` ordinary common. clot-lr stretched over them. In this Way a filtering apparatus is provided, consisting of many layers ofcloth which cannot be packed together by any' undue pressure eX- erted by the gases.

These and other advantages of my invention will be more apparent by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which* [Figure 1 is a general viewof my improved s'y'stem Showing parts of the apparatus in side elevation and parts in vertical section. Fig.V 2 is a fragmentary,l enlarged transverse section of the furnace wall showing the air inlets. Fig. 3 is a fragmentaryl vertical section `of the bricks of the inner furnace wall showing the course of the air v tory material fl. lRiveted to the shell-2 is 8 of electrically conducting material.

inlets.

Inorder to more readily understand the operation of my system as a whole I will first describe the detailed construction of the combining furnace, as shown in Figs. 1,

and A combining chamber 1 is surrounded by a wall o f refractory brick.A For this purpose I prefer to use magnesite,

bauxite, chrome, or some other form of brick which has extremely refractory properties on account ofthe high'temperatures 4which are attained within the furnace. Between the inner wa-ll 2 and the iron or steel shell 3'is a layer of broken pieces of refracwhen the furnace is in operation. The rod 8 projects through the bottom of the cup 9 so that an electricalcontact is formed with the composition 11 within the cup. The

, lower end of the rod 8 is suitably connected with a source of electric current.

The upper electrode 12 is constructed of iron, steel, or other electrically conducting material, andis ,water cooled. The pipe 13 forming the outer portion of the electrode is provided on its lower end with a rounded head or extension 14, the inside of which is continuous with the inside of the pipe 13. Within the pipe 13 is provided a smaller pipe 15. Itis clear that Water may be introduced into the pipe 15 through the inlet 16, and that after passing through the head or extension 14C this water will iow u'pwardly between the outside of the pipe 15 and the inside of the` pipe 13,I and will then be carried away through the outlet 17. An electrical connection may be made .on any point of the pipe 13 with the opposite terA minal of a source of electric current to that with which the lower electrode is connected through the rod 8. Attached to the upper part of 'the pipe 15 isa rack 18, movable in a vertical plane by means of a'pinion 19 rigidly connected lwith the disk 20, on which is mounted a handle. not showninv the drawing. VA rotary guide -21 serves to hold the rack 18 in engagement with the pinion 19. Inasmuch as the'pipes 15 and 13 are rigidly member 2'( of the clamp 25 maybe adjustedby turning a nut 28. It is clear that by this construction the plate 22 is electrically insulated from theshell 3 and top plate 23 of the furnace.

Passing through the opening in the plate is the cooling apparatus for `the gases passing out of the furnace. This cooling mechanism consists of an outer'l shell 29 and an inner shell 30, the lower portions of these ltwo shells beingsealed by means of angle `irons 31. The space between the upper por .tions of these two shells is allowed to rehnain open. A coupling is inserted in `the outer shell 29 in a position above the lfurnace/proper. Laterally extending from this coupling is the pipe 33, through which passes a smaller pipe 34 connecting with the Tinside of the inner shell 30. The space between the outer end ofthe pipe 33 and the pipe 34 is sealed lby the portion An outlet pipe 3G communicates through the pipe 33 with the space between the outer :shell 29, and the inner shell 30. A pipe is introduced in the space between the outer shell 29 and the inner shell 30, and pas. `downwardly to a position near the lower `edges of theseshells. -It is now clear that `if water is introduced through the pipe 37 tit will fill the space between-the shells 29 ,and 30 and also the space between the pipes 33 and 34, then passing away through theoutlet pipe The upper electrode 12 is adapted to move within a bearing whichI is `composed of 'a 'collar 38 fitting within a second. collar 39. Between these two collars is placed packing 40,',so that it is impossible for gases to escape .from the furnace be tween the pipe' 13 andthe collars 38 and 39. rlhe inner shell 30. is securelyattached to the lower collar 39. 1t is clear from the construction which have described' that there is a'space, 41, between the inner shell 30 and the outer pipe 13 of the electrode 12, this space connecting directly with the interior of the combining chamber 1.- It is evident that if gases under pressure are contained in the chamber 1 they will pass outwardly through the space 41 andthe pipe 34. 'During such passage the outgoing gases are subjected to the cooling action of the water flowing between the outer shell the air into thev chamber 1.

outside of the pipe, 34 and the inside of the pipe 33.` The gases are thus immediately cooled after leaving the combining cli'ainbei-1.v

.One ofthe special features of my inven- -tion consists of the lmethod of introducing conducting the'preheated gases tothe furnace passes through the shell 3 and connects with a pipe 43 which encircles the furnace within the portion 4 of the furnace wall. .Connecting with the pipe 43 at'frequent intervals are 'small pipes 44, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These pipes, which are preferably of iron or steel, project into the fire brick which forni -the inner Wall 2 of the furnace. Connecting with these pipesare passages 45 `within the body of the brick, each passage directed radially inward in a horizontal plane toward the center of.tlie furnace. Connecting with the passages 45 are the oblique downward passages 46, most c learly'shoivn in Fig. 3. of the furnace is' so constructed that the bricks havingthe passages'45 and 46 project inwardl over the portion' of the wa'll below vthese bricks. From this desciiption itis evident that as airis introduced through the pipe 42 it passes into the pipe 43, and thence'through the pipes 44 ,andV the ,pas sages 45 and 46 into the furnace. On account of the oblique direction ofthe pas.

sages 46 the air which comes in simiilta-- neously on all sides of the combining cham-- ber passes downwardly `with 'a whirling motion, thereby protecting to a very'considerable degree the inner wall 2 from the excessive heat generated in the furnace.

After passing downwardly the air then passes upwardly, still retaining itsiwhirlinfr t en rotary movement, inside of the cone .which is formed by the downwardly passing air.

It is on this upward movement that the air is subjecteddirectly to the action of the electricarc. and that the combining action takes place. The inlets forthe air are preferably located at about the level in which thc lower part of the upper electrode nor.

mally operates.

Having described the detailedP construction of my furnace, I will now deal withthe operation of my systemes a whole, as shown in Fig. 1.

A is an air-compressor which connects by means of the pipe 47 with the mechanical drier B. As the compressed air enters the drier B it immediately expands, with the result that the moisture is precipitated from the air, this moisture being periodically drawnY off through a suitable stopcock,

which is not shown in the drawing. If desired, a second drier B may be connected with the first by means of pipe 48, and addinumber may be used.

The pipe 42 The inner wall' 2' tional mechanical driers, or any4 desired From the last niechanical -drier the air p `asses ythrough the pipe 49 to the bottom of the chemical. drier C, the linterior of which isprovided with a series of shelves 51), on which is placed line 51 or other ldesiccating material. The air next passes -from the upper part of the drier C through the pipe 52 into a preheating chamber D, the operation of which will be described hereafter. Pipes 53 serve to connect any desired vnumber of thesev heating chambers D. Leading fromthe last heating chamber is the pipe 42, in which is inserted an insulating section ,The preheated "air passing through .the pipe 42 enters the combining chamber 1- of the furnaceE, as previously described, and

after being subjected to the action of the arc the combined gases pass outwardly through the pipe 34., The size of the pipes for conducting thecombined gases is a matter of' importance, asthe gases are decomposed if the pipe is too small. This may be owing to the generation by the friction of the gases within 'the pipe of static charges of elec tricity which then appear. When the gases are passing at the rate of 1 cubic foot per second, a. pipe'at least three inches in diameter should be used.

The following reactions take place within the .combining chamber :V

(l) N24-.02:2NO (2,) 2NO+O2=2NO2- Besides the o-iiids formed by the above reactions other lolwer oxids, as N20, N203, etc.,

4may also be formed, 'The exact nature of these subsidiary reactions is-more or less uncertain. An insulating section 55 is inserted in the outlet vpipe 34, the object of lthe insulating sections 54 and being to prevent any possible danger of ya short circuit through the inlet or -outlet pipes. I.'h.'i.veA

found that itis a matter of`great importance to have a perfect insulation at these points as any 'leakage of current increases the unsteadiness ofthe arc, whereas'with a good insulation thearc may be operated steadily many hours with no change, Attachedto the end of the pipe 34 is a-.T-coupling 56, to one side of which 'is attached the pipe 57, having thevalve 58, and to the, other` side of which is attached the pipe 59, having the valve 60. Connected to the pipe 57 is a cylinder 61, having detachable ends 62 62,

these ends being normally secured to the' cylinder 61 by flanges 63. Attached to the lower end 62 of the cylinder 61 is the pipe 64 having the valve 65, this pipe being connected with lone side of the T-coupling 66.

A second cylinder 67 is connected with the pipes 5 9 and 68 in exactly the same manner Ias the cylinder 61, the pipe 68jbeing connected with the'opposite side of the 'Il' cou-pling 66 to that with which the pipe 6% is connected. The pipe 68 is also provided with a valve 69. ,Each of the cylinders 61 and 67 is loosely packed with cotton waste, or some other similar material, which acts to remove the dust from the gases passing from the combining chamber-of the furnace. In some cases where the gases are under high pressure there is a tendency for the waste to become packed in one end 4of the cylinder, and in order to obviate this difficulty I some` times employv a series of wooden frames a ting within the cylinders, these frames having cotton or other suitable quality of cloth stretched across them in much the same manner as the -head of a drum is stretched intoposition. As the gases pass through the pipe 34 they may be caused to go through either the 'cylinder 61 or 67. If, for example, it is desired to pass the gases through cylinder 61, the'valves 58 and 65 are opened and the valves 60 and 69 are closed. It is evident that if this is done the cylinder 67 may be removed for the purpose of cleaning or replacing the Waste while the cylinder 61 is in operation. The objectof providing two of the cylinders, through either one of which the gasesA may be caused to pass, is to make it possible to conduct a continuous operation of the filtering and straining device. I have found that this filtering device is effective not vonly inremoving the dust from the outgoing gases .but that it also serves in large measure to promote the 'further combination of the nitrogen and oxygen of the air, and that a greater percentage of oxids are formed when this plug filter yis used than is the case when it is not employed.

From the coupling 66 the gases pass through the pipe 70 and enter the absorption tower F. This tower Iis preferably built of wood which has been previously soaked in paraffin, or some other similarl compound which is not attacked by nitric acid. The absorption tower is filled with water in which are placed pieces' of quartz 71 in order to' more eifectually break up the.

gases and pimote absorption. The pipe 70 is provided inside of the tower with a .wooden inclosing shell 7 Q. so that the pipe may be readily withdrawn for repairs and again placed in position without disturbing thequartz 71. A sampling pipe 73 leads to the bottom'of the absorption tower F, and through this pip'efa small quantity, of water and its absorbed gases may bewithdrawn at any time through the valve 74 for testing purposes. Theunabs'orbed portion of gas passes through the pipe-75 tov a second"ab-A sorption tower F, and from this tower through a second pipe '76 to still another absorption tower. l The number of these towers may be multiplied as desired in order' to obtain a perfect absorption ofthe gas. V

Suitable piping may be provided so that the such test is cut off from the supply of gases and the nitric acid is drawn olf. It is then refilled with water andthe absorption process begins. once more. The reaction occurring in the absorption of the nitric dioXid lis as follows:

The electric current is supplied to the combining furnace E from two electric mains 77 and 78 which are connected to the two terminals of an alternating current gen-A erator. Having its primary winding connected to the mains 77 and 78 through the conductors 79 'and 80 respectively 'is 1 the transformer G. The conductor 81 serves to connect one terminal of the secondary winding of the transformer G with the pipe 13 of the upper electrode 12. The other terminal of the secondary winding is connected with the conductor 82. The winding Qf an inductance 83 is connected inseries with the conductors 82: and 84. This inductance may be of any suitable' type, its object being to cause steadiness and uniformity of action of the arc within the combining chamber.

Any suitable-,constant current ydevice may.`

similarly be connected in series with the conductors 82 and 84:. f y

Within the` preheatingchambers D are provided resistances 85, these .resistances `being connected` in `series by means of con- .the arc thereby being increased. The air from compressor A- passes through the driers and preheating chambers, as described above, and enters the combining chamber 1 of thefurnace E through the vpipes 42, .43 and 4A and the passages 45 and L16. The whirling motion given the air by the characteristic structure of the air inlets causes theaction ofthe arc to be steady and uniform, and at the same time a greater volume of air is subected to the action of` the arc than wouldA be the case if the air 'passed directly through a combining chamber. It is important, however, that the air should pass through the combining chamber at such a rate that the oxids of nitroimacat A I gen whichare formed by the electric arc the speed withwhichthe air passes through the combining chamber must notbe so excessive that the arc is lblow-n out or disrupted thereby. It is clear in this connection that the size of the combining chamber l with respect to the air passing therethrough and the size of the arc are of vital importance.v The chamber must be. of su'liiciently small diameter so that the whirling mass of ascending'airwi-ll be thoroughly subjected to the action ofthe arc, and atthe same time the chamber must be of sufficient height so that the combining action will be completed before the gases are suddenly cooled and thereby fixed. As a matter of practical 'experience I have found that a combining chamber having la height -of -about 30 inches from the lower part of the cooling shells 29'and 30 to the lower part of the combining chamber, a diameter of 7 i' inches, a distance betweenI electrodes of not less than 3 inches, and an operatingcurrent f 100 amperes on a low tension circuit gives satisfactory results. Under ordinary Aoperating conditions:A have found that a distance Abetween electrodes of 1.0 inches gives good results,the air inletbeing located slightly above thelower part of the upper electrode. I do not mean in any way to confine myself to the dimensions or relation of pai-ts Just mentioned, as great variations z may be made without affecting the operation of my system. I have mentioned these dimensions and proportions, however, to

furnish an example of one of many possible methods of constructing my furnace.

After the oXids of nitrogen have 'been iXed, A

it is evident-that many different processes for forming nitric acid or nitrates may be used, several of such processes being well*v known in the art. A

Many changes inthe detailed construction .of the apparatus which has been described could be made without departing fromthe spirit of my invention;

What I claim' as new and desire to cover' by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus for the treatment of gases, the combination of a vcombining chamber, means' for directing the gases' downwardly with a whirling motionvaround the inner surface of the wall of the chamber, and heating means in the chamber substantially in the center of the path of the whirling gases for effectingchemicalcombination of the gases as they subsequently ascend in thecenter of the chamber.

2. In apparatus for the treatment of gases, the combination of a combining chamber, means for directing the gases downwardly with a whirling motion around the inner surface ofthe wall ofthe chamber,.

heating means in -the chamber substantially 'in the center of the path -of the whirlingv of the chamber, and electrodes in the chamber substantially in thecenter of the path` of the whirling gases for effecting chemical combination of vthe `gases as they subse-A quently'ascend in the center of the chamber.

.4. In apparatus for the .treatment of' gases, the combination of Aa combining chamber, a plurality of passages for direct- -ing the gases downwardly with a .whirling motion around the inner surface of the wall of the chamber, electrodes in the chamber substantially inthe center of the path of thel whirling gases for effecting chemical com-1 bination of the' gases as they subsequently ascend'in the center of the chamber, and means for cooling the combined gases on their passage from the chamber.l

. In apparatus for combining-"gases,

the combination'of a combining chamber, a

passage leading tangentially and obliquelyvintosaid chamber, means for introducing the gases into said passage andthereby into said chamber, and means for heating the ,gases within said chamber to effect chemical combination between them.

6. In :apparatus for combining gases,` 105 the-combination ofja combining chamber, a passage leading tangentially and obliquely into said chamber, means for, introducing the gases into said passage and thereby'into said chamber, means for heating the gases within said-chamber toA effectl chemical com.-v

bination between them, means for 'delivering said gases from said chamber, and

meansfor' cooling the' gases ontheir -outwardpassage. l V

' In apparatus'l -for the' treatment of gases, the combination'of a combining chamber, arc electrodes in said chamber, and means for introducing the gases into'said lchamber'downwardly from'above the lower electrode, the

gases then naturally passing upward. ,l 8. In apparatusfor the treatment of gases, the combination'of a combining chamber, a pair of arc electrodes in said chamber,

and means for introducing'the gases into said chamber downwardly from above the lower electrodel and at'v the same time imparting a whirling motion thereto.

v@ Mmes?.

9. In appaaus for the treatment of' gases, the Combination of a combining chambei', are electrodes n said chamber, and means for introducing ,the gases into said chamber from above said electmdes, said gases being directed downwardly to assume a whirling motions n Witness Whereol hereunto subscribe my name this 12th day of August, A. D.

EDSON `R VV'OLCGTT. W/Vtnesses:

HENRY M. Hmmm?g A., L. MENTZER. 

